Would you ever imagine making batteries out of such common material that is used on a daily basis?
Well we did. We made batteries the other day using 6 pennies, cardboard, white vinegar, and an led. We thought this would be a good idea because sometimes when you're stranded in the middle of no where and you just might find an led so you could conduct this product. (:
(Im not being sarcastic at all.)
Keys words that will help you understand this project:
Oxidation and Reduction: Basically any chemical reaction that has to do with atoms being oxidized
Electrolytes: minerals in body that contain electric charge, things like pee, sweat, and tears have electrolytes.
What we did:
step 1: scrub one side of penny on sand paper to get pure zinc
step 2: cup cardboard the size of penny (once everything is put together nothing can touch)
step 3: soak cardboard into vinegar to get some electrolytes
step 4: stack pennies and cardboard in the same order until all 6 pennies are used
Meghan and I worked on this experiment together and found it very time consuming. Since we needed to sand the copper off to get 100% zinc it took awhile for it to come off. Below is a picture of how it looked after we sanded down most of a penny. Our light looked just like the other ones because most people used to exact same material to complete this project. Our light was taped with black thick tape. The black tape was needed to hold down the negative and positive wires to the led could start the electrical current and light up.
The pros of the black tape was that it hield everything down but the cons was that no material could be touching each other unless it was penny, cardboard, penny, cardboard etc.. If the cardboard is touching on the sides the electrical current will stop and the led will not turn on. Obviously tape holds everything together but you really need to be precise about where and how you tape it or it will not hold together.
Well we did. We made batteries the other day using 6 pennies, cardboard, white vinegar, and an led. We thought this would be a good idea because sometimes when you're stranded in the middle of no where and you just might find an led so you could conduct this product. (:
(Im not being sarcastic at all.)
Keys words that will help you understand this project:
Oxidation and Reduction: Basically any chemical reaction that has to do with atoms being oxidized
Electrolytes: minerals in body that contain electric charge, things like pee, sweat, and tears have electrolytes.
What we did:
step 1: scrub one side of penny on sand paper to get pure zinc
step 2: cup cardboard the size of penny (once everything is put together nothing can touch)
step 3: soak cardboard into vinegar to get some electrolytes
step 4: stack pennies and cardboard in the same order until all 6 pennies are used
Meghan and I worked on this experiment together and found it very time consuming. Since we needed to sand the copper off to get 100% zinc it took awhile for it to come off. Below is a picture of how it looked after we sanded down most of a penny. Our light looked just like the other ones because most people used to exact same material to complete this project. Our light was taped with black thick tape. The black tape was needed to hold down the negative and positive wires to the led could start the electrical current and light up.
The pros of the black tape was that it hield everything down but the cons was that no material could be touching each other unless it was penny, cardboard, penny, cardboard etc.. If the cardboard is touching on the sides the electrical current will stop and the led will not turn on. Obviously tape holds everything together but you really need to be precise about where and how you tape it or it will not hold together.
How did the project turn out?
Meghan and I tried to get the led working as best as we could but the part where we messed up was the taping part because in order for the led to work we kind of have to wiggle it around. It does work but I think we could have done it better. If we had more time then I think we would be able to make sure everything is placed correctly and maybe able for it to work on its own. Without us wiggling the light around, it will still work but it wont be as bright.
If we could do this again then I think I would want to do more research and find different ways to conduct this product. I think that I am better at mixing different "recipes" together to make one grand product. As I mentioned before if I could go back to this same led then I would tape the led better and find a way let it light on its own.
What I am taking away from this project is basically knowing that things that we use in our everyday lives can be more useful then we thought. Especially something so simple like pennies. I would have never imagined that you can light an actual led with pennies, cardboard, and vinegar.
Meghan and I tried to get the led working as best as we could but the part where we messed up was the taping part because in order for the led to work we kind of have to wiggle it around. It does work but I think we could have done it better. If we had more time then I think we would be able to make sure everything is placed correctly and maybe able for it to work on its own. Without us wiggling the light around, it will still work but it wont be as bright.
If we could do this again then I think I would want to do more research and find different ways to conduct this product. I think that I am better at mixing different "recipes" together to make one grand product. As I mentioned before if I could go back to this same led then I would tape the led better and find a way let it light on its own.
What I am taking away from this project is basically knowing that things that we use in our everyday lives can be more useful then we thought. Especially something so simple like pennies. I would have never imagined that you can light an actual led with pennies, cardboard, and vinegar.